Robert Carlyle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Carlyle OBE
Carlyle at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1961-04-14) 14 April 1961 (age 64) Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland
Alma mater	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Anastasia Shirley ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	3

Robert Carlyle is a Scottish actor born on 14 April 1961. He is known for playing many different characters in movies and TV shows. He was given an OBE, which is a special award from the King or Queen of the UK for his acting.

Some of his famous movie roles include The Full Monty, Trainspotting, and Eragon. On TV, you might know him from Once Upon a Time, where he played Rumplestiltskin, or Stargate Universe.

Early life and education

Robert Carlyle was born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland, on 14 April 1961. His mother worked for a bus company, and his father was a painter. Robert was raised by his father after his mother left when he was four years old.

He left school at 16 without many qualifications and worked with his father as a painter. Later, he went to night classes at Cardonald College in Glasgow. When he was 21, he became interested in acting after reading a play called The Crucible. He then went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, a well-known acting school.

Career highlights

In 1991, Robert Carlyle and some friends started a theatre company called Raindog. This company also worked on TV and film projects. That same year, he appeared in a TV show called The Bill and acted in his first movie, Riff-Raff.

He became very well known for playing the Highland policeman Hamish Macbeth in the BBC comedy-drama Hamish Macbeth. This popular show ran for three years, from 1995 to 1997.

Robert Carlyle then starred in the movie The Full Monty in 1997. For this role, he won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, which is a very important award in British film. He also played a villain named Renard in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough in 1999.

Robert Carlyle in July 2009

In 2003, he played Adolf Hitler in the TV miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil. He also played the bad guy Durza in the 2006 movie Eragon. In 2007, he was one of the main characters in the movie 28 Weeks Later. He also starred in the disaster film Flood, where he tried to save London.

From 2009 to 2011, Robert Carlyle played Dr. Nicholas Rush in the TV series Stargate Universe. This was a very important role for him in the show. He also appeared in a TV movie called 24: Redemption in 2008, which was based on the TV series 24.

He also lent his voice to the character of Gabriel Belmont in the video game series Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

From 2011 to 2018, Robert Carlyle played Rumplestiltskin and Mr. Gold in the fantasy TV series Once Upon a Time. His character was a powerful wizard who made deals. Robert said his son helped him create Rumplestiltskin's unique voice.

In 2019, he was in a TV show called The War of the Worlds. In 2020, he played Robert Sutherland, the Prime Minister, in the TV series COBRA.

Acting style

Robert Carlyle is known for how much he commits to his roles. He often changes his lifestyle or how he looks to truly understand a character. For example, before playing a homeless person in a film, he lived in the area where the movie was set to experience it himself.

For his role as a bus driver in Carla's Song, he actually learned how to drive a bus with passengers. When he played Begbie again in T2 Trainspotting, he even had some dental work done to match the character's look. Critics have praised his ability to play both intense and warm characters.

Personal life

Robert Carlyle married make-up artist Anastasia Shirley in 1997. They have three children: a daughter born in 2002, and two sons born in 2004 and 2006. He supports a charity called 'School for Life' in Romania. In 1999, he was given an OBE for his work.

Filmography

Movies

Television shows

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Taggart	Gordon Inglis	Episode: "Hostile Witness"
1991	The Bill	Tom Ward	Episode: "The Better Part of Valour"
1993	Screenplay	Nosty	Episode: "Safe"
1994	99-1	Detective Constable Trevor Prescott	Episode: "Doing the Business"
	Cracker	Albie Kinsella	3 episodes
1995–1998	Hamish Macbeth	Hamish Macbeth	20 episodes
1998	Looking After Jo Jo	John Joe "Jo Jo" McCann
2001	Chewin' the Fat	Himself	Hogmanay Special
2003	Hitler: The Rise of Evil	Adolf Hitler
2004	Gunpowder, Treason & Plot	King James I	Television film
2005	...	Sergei Karpovich
	Class of '76	Detective Inspector Tom Monroe	Television film
2006	Born Equal	Robert
2008	The Last Enemy	David Russell	5 episodes
	24: Redemption	Carl Benton	Television film
2009	The Unloved	Father
	The Man Who Walked Around the World	Himself	Advert for Johnnie Walker
	Zig Zag Love	Jacko	Television film
2009–2011	Stargate Universe	Doctor Nicholas Rush	40 episodes
2011–2018	Once Upon a Time	Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold / Weaver	138 episodes
2019	The War of the Worlds	Ogilvy	3 episodes
2020–2023	Cobra	Robert Sutherland	Lead role
2023	The Full Monty	Gary "Gaz" Schofield	Lead role
TBA	Toxic Town	TBA	4 episodes

Video games

Audio books

Awards and nominations

Robert Carlyle has won many awards for his acting. Here are some of them:

Images for kids

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  Robert Carlyle at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

See also

In Spanish: Robert Carlyle para niños